


Someone You Like

by ANA0072



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - After College/University, Alternate Universe - Non-Famous, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Bottom Lee Jihoon | Woozi, Choreographer Kwon Soonyoung | Hoshi, Denial of Feelings, Eventual Smut, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Friends to Lovers, I'm Bad At Summaries, I'm Bad At Tagging, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Kwon Soonyoung | Hoshi is Whipped, Lee Jihoon | Woozi Is Bad At Feelings, Lee Jihoon | Woozi is Whipped, Light Angst, Light Dom/sub, M/M, Meet-Cute, Minor Boo Seungkwan/Chwe Hansol | Vernon, Minor Wen Jun Hui | Jun/Xu Ming Hao | The8, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Producer Lee Jihoon | Woozi, Rough Sex, Smut, Strangers to Lovers, Tags May Change, Top Kwon Soonyoung | Hoshi, for jihoon at least, its a problem, jihoon is a shy baby, just read it bro, soonyoung confident af, soonyoung is a sexc bitch
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-24
Updated: 2020-11-08
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:47:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,209
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27170600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ANA0072/pseuds/ANA0072
Summary: After saving Lee Jihoons life, Kwon Soonyoung thought that would be it and they would never meet each other again. As luck would have it, they turn out to be co-workers who have to maneuver working together and the undeniable sexual tension.Shennanigans ensue.OrA soonhoon co-worker au cause im basic.
Relationships: Boo Seungkwan/Chwe Hansol | Vernon, Kwon Soonyoung | Hoshi/Lee Jihoon | Woozi, Wen Jun Hui | Jun/Xu Ming Hao | The8
Comments: 13
Kudos: 88





	1. Hot Mystery Man

**Author's Note:**

> OKAY NGL THIS IS MY FIRST TIME WRITING FANFICTION but not my first time writing! I was on wattpad before this, writing "original" stories that I never posted but then got off wattpad for a good 2 years and came back liking kpop and bl so then I basically decided that I can keep the story line of most of the stories but make it gay and seventeen.
> 
> TBH SoonHoon was not the first story that I wanted to write. I have a roommate au in my head for Junhao, a best friend au for Verkwan, Flower shop tattoo parlor au for Meanie and a sugar daddy au for Jeongcheol (please let me know which one you wanna read the most cause I wanna get these outta my head already) but this soonhoon one had been sitting in my mind for a good month now (up until recently a rival band au has also popped in my head featuring all the ships) and I decided to finally get it out there. Yay for me!
> 
> STREAM HOME;RUN TOO!!
> 
> Tumblr: @ana0072  
> Twitter: @ANAisnotmyname  
> Please message me, I'm lonely T^T
> 
> Now lets finally get on with the story. I know you're sick of me already >w<

Soonyoung should have known that staying up until 3 in the morning, trying - and failing - to overcome his dancers block (is that even a thing?) were bound to have _some_ repurcussions. His friends warned him, even _Hansol_ who would _normally_ let everyone do whatever they wanted and not judge or question them. But alas, he didn’t listen and now he’s running late to his 8am company meeting that he only remembered the existence of when he woke up at 6 to pee. Seungcheol is going to kill him.

He’s sleepy, tired and definitely _not_ in his right mind to _run_ towards the company instead of taking the bus like a normal human being. So forgive him if he didn’t see the boy he was about to crash into when his foggy brain is too preoccupied with thinking up ways to get back at Jun for laughing at him (and not telling him!) when he almost left their apartment in only his boxers in his haste to leave that morning.

He yelps as he lands on top of the figure, the boy himself screaming as they both fall onto the concrete with an ‘oomph’. He tries to catch his breath as he pushes himself up from but almost cowers when he sees that the boy is absolutely seething at him. _Almost_.

He’s ready to apologize profusely but is stopped when the sound of a crash resonates through the air, both of them jolting at the sudden noise. Soonyoung lifts himself higher, looking behind them to the spot the boy previously occupied to find a 70lb air conditioner now smashed to bits in the concrete.

The both of them stare at it in mutual shock and they look up to the apartment it was previously home to, at least 15 feet above them, trying to process what had just happened.

“That- that could’ve killed me.” The boy below him states in awe. It’s only then that he remembers the current position they’re in and scrambles off of him in embarrassment. The boy is still staring at the air conditioner, stunned. “I- you-”, He looks up at Soonyoung, glassy eyes staring at him in gratitude, tears threatening to fall any second.

Soonyoung panics.

“Oh my god, please don’t cry! Holy shit I hurt you didn't I? How painful is it? Where is it? I have a friend who’s studying as a nurse, he should be able to help you! Hold on just a second, I’ll call him. Of course there isn’t any guarantee he’d pick up since today _is_ his off day. And even if he does pick up, there also isn’t any guarantee that he can help you. You might be even more comfortable with a professional too so maybe I should just call an ambulance? The nearest hospital is 30 minutes away and you might have a _concussion_ even! Holy shi-”

“Will you _please_ be quiet?”

He shuts up immediately.

The boy sighs, seemingly snapped out of his previous entranced stupor. “Can you please help me up?”

As he helps the boy off the ground, Soonyoung couldn’t help but notice the obvious height difference between them. He was more or less a foot shorter than himself and a panicked thought crosses his mind where he thinks he just bumped - crashed really - into a middle schooler. But it was a weekday, the boy wasn’t wearing a uniform of any sort, and to his knowledge regarding public schools near the area (not that he has much to begin with. He isn’t some freak who checks where minors are the closest to him in his free time for god's sake) the nearest one is at least an hour away. So either this kid skipped school and woke up at an _ungodly_ hour just to arrive at some random intersection downtown, or he wasn’t a kid to begin with.

Seeming to catch what Soonyoung was thinking, the boy scowls (though to Soonyoung it looked more like a pout with his jutting lips and upturned nose. He pushes away the thought of it looking adorable).

“I’m 26 for god's sake,” the boy mutters. Soonyoung is quick to apologize. He thankfully doesn't get interrupted by falling air conditioners this time. The boy sighs again, “It’s fine. I get it a lot and normally I would call you an asshole for assuming, but you _did_ just save me from being a pancake on the sidewalk so,” He pauses as he meets eyes with him again, the same look of gratitude returning, sans the tears of course, “That said….I have to say thank you. For saving me, that is.”

A warm feeling plants itself inside Soonyoungs chest. He smiles genuinely at the boy, cheeks bunching up in a way that makes his eyes squint.

“I’m Lee Jihoon,” The boy says, sticking out his hand towards his in a handshake.

Soonyoung was just about to take it, was just about to respond with an ‘I’m Kwon Soonyoung and I know I just saved your life and all and I don’t want you to feel like you’re indebted to me or something, but do you wanna go out for coffee sometime?’ when his phone starts ringing shrilly in the air.

He answers it in a frenzy, choosing to not notice the flash of disappointment that crosses Jihoon’s eyes.

“Mingyu? Yeah, I’m on my way right now. I know that, you think I don’t know that? Jun’s already reminded me this morning. I’ll run okay? I have 10 minutes to make it. Yeah, see you soon.”

When he ends the call, he looks up apologetically at Jihoon, “I’m so sorry, I _really_ have to go. Maybe I'll see you around, Lee Jihoon!” But he’s already on the other side of the street, sprinting towards the company.

Again, he chooses to ignore the hurt in Jihoons eyes as he walks away and instead tries focusing on apologizing profusely to Manager Park as she hands him his itinerary and schedule. And he ignores the heavy feeling of regret in his chest when he thinks of how he will most likely never see Lee Jihoon ever again.

******

“Seungkwan-ah.”

Said boy jumps slightly straightening from the hunched position he had been sporting for nearly an hour, quickly composing himself as he looks over at Jihoon. But Jihoon wasn’t looking at him, he was staring off at his monitor that was supposed to display his newest project but for the last half hour it has been barren. Seungkwan had intended to help his hyung overcome his writer's block that had been going on for a few days now but judging from the several sheets of papers scattered throughout the small studio, their efforts so far had bore no fruit.

"Yes, hyung?" He answers timidly.

Jihoon sighs, rubbing his temples between his thumb and forefinger, “I think it’s better if you wrap it up today.”

Seungkwan almost sighs out in relief, “Oh okay, hyung! I’ll bring you some dak-gomtang tomorrow! Eomma says it’s good for the soul and healing or something-”

“Maybe you should rest for the week.” Jihoon cuts him off.

Seungkwan falters, “What do you mean, hyung?”

He sighs again, Seungkwan notices he had been doing that a lot lately, “I really appreciate you helping me these past few days, Seungkwan-ah, but you should rest. There’s no point in stressing you out even more than you already are, right?"

“But, hyung-"

“Go home, Seungkwan-ah. This is my burden to bear,” Jihoon dismisses. Seungkwan purses his lips but doesn’t say anything, packing up his bag in relative silence.

He wanted to stay, to help his hyung in his time of need like a good dongsaeng. And really if it was _anyone_ else, he would probably be really stubborn and stay anyways.

But this is Lee Jihoon they were talking about. He is as brilliant as he was stubborn. There was really no point in arguing with him anymore than necessary and put an unwanted strain in their relationship. Seungkwan had been on the brunt of that more than he would like to admit.

He really just hopes this bump his hyung is going through doesn’t last long, he’s experienced first hand how much of a hindrance it puts on Jihoons daily life. He didn’t want to think about the last time he hit a dead end, he didn’t want any of them to go through _that_ ever again.

******

The fluorescent lights were the first thing he noticed when he stepped out of the studio that night. Jihoon groans in frustration and pulls his cap down lower, quickly turning in the direction of the 7-Eleven around the corner, one of the places he’s frequented on a daily basis the past week.

He watches his step as he walks on the sidewalk, looking up on the window sills of apartment buildings above him every so often, a habit he’s picked up ever since the incident 2 weeks ago.

Thinking of his near death experience has been leaving a bittersweet taste in his mouth. He hated to admit that the man who saved his life is always there in the back of his mind, like a phantom in an abandoned mansion. He thinks of the handsome stranger's face, how his cheeks bunched up when he smiled, eyes disappearing into slits. He was rather _cute_ , Jihoon thinks.

But then he also thinks about the force in which he swept him off his feet (quite literally). Jihoon also reckons beneath all that fluffy cuteness, the stranger was packing some muscle too. He had noticed his hard jawline when he turned his head, the furrow in his brows and the growl in his voice when he picked up his phone.

Heat creeps up his face when he thinks about how big and rough the strangers hand had been when he helped him up. How his firm grip slightly pinched his waist when he steadied him. He probably didn’t even notice he did that. Or even how he cradled Jihoon’s head so his hand could break his fall. Jihoon thinks about how his hand glowed an angry red when he picked up his phone, cuts and scratches on his knuckles that made him look like he was punching concrete.

Yes. Very bittersweet indeed.

Groaning out in frustration, Jihoon tries not to linger too much on the guilt in the pit of his stomach (he wasn’t watching where he was walking after all, the man wouldn’t have had to save him otherwise) or the simmering heat of arousal pooling when he remembers how hot and rugged the cuts made the stranger look.

Sighing for the umpteenth time that day, Jihoon pushes all thoughts of Hot Mystery Man aside, instead focusing on which brand of ramyeon he should buy that night for dinner. After picking one out, he turns into the drinks aisle, carefully maneuvaring past a display tower for some potato chips. But Jihoon freezes and almost drops his items when he sees the familiar back of the one that saved his life 2 weeks ago. The same back that he saw walk away from him while he was frozen in place from their brief interaction.

“Hot Mystery Man,” he breaths.

The man hadn’t noticed his presence yet which was thanks to the earphones he had plugged in. And he was too absorbed in picking between a coke and a pepsi, which Jihoon silently mourned for but he figures he can find the drink somewhere else. There was an abundance of convenience stores in the area anyways.

He swiftly turns around, intending to head straight for the cashier and leave as quickly as possible. Despite him wanting to know the man's name, it was clear from their previous encounter Mystery Man wasn’t interested in him in the slightest. If he was busy, he could have left his name so at _least_ Jihoon could stalk him on instagram or something. Maybe he didn’t even have instagram in the first place. Or twitter. Or any social media for that matter! Maybe he was one of those hermits that hates social interaction? Or maybe he was a lecherous pervert who hides under women's cars and slices their achilles tendon so they can’t run and sells them for parts on the black market? Which would be unconventional if someone wanted to buy a foot with an achilles tendon still attached.

Really, if it was _him_ selling women for parts on the black market, he would’ve probably gone for a Ted Bundy approach instead. He would lure them with his charming words and handsome looks, make them trust him, have them treat an injury or something (nothing is more attractive than a man in need of help and knowing to ask for it), then he would get them when their defences are down, hit them with a blunt object to the hea-

Jihoon _really_ needs to stop watching true crime shows.

But Jihoon finds some sort of comfort in knowing he could murder someone if they pushed him enough, there is an odd tranquility to it. He does not find comfort, however, in crashing into the aforementioned display tower of chips that he had frankly, forgotten the existence of.

To his horror - or maybe delight, he’s still not sure - the comotion prompts Hot Mystery Man to rush towards him in concern, Jihoon thinks maybe he has a saviour complex, he wouldn’t be surprised if the man saves kittens in trees and helps old ladies with groceries in his spare time, he seemed the type ( _or maybe he’s just a decent human being, jesus Jihoon_ ) The cap on Jihoon head slides lower during impact, so the man thankfully didn’t recognise him, but again, like the first time they met, he was rambling.

“Kid! Are you okay?” he asks as he moves the chip bags off of Jihoons buried form, “Gosh, you should really watch where you’re going, you could’ve been really hurt!”

Jihoon yelps in surprise when Hot Mystery Man grabs his waist, easily lifting him off the ground and on his feet instead. He tries - key word _tries_ \- not to think about those hands roaming his body sooner rather than later, preferably without clothes on.

“Are you hurt anywhere? Do I need to call your parents or guardian or anything like that? Minors really shouldn’t be roaming around after dark, it’s really dangerous! There are so many bad people out at this time of night! I can escort you home or - wait that sounds wrong. I accompany you? Nope not better. Point is I can help you get home? Or - or if you aren’t comfortable with that, I can take you to my work place? I work just around the block, you can wait for your parents there-!”

“I’m 26 for god's sake!” Jihoon practically yells.

Time seems to still as he lets the words sink into Hot Mystery Man's brain. Tentatively he looks up from below the rim of the cap.

“Lee Jihoon?” He whispers.

_Fuck!_

Jihoons eyes widened. _The man remembers him! He remembers his name and what he had said!_

“Holy _fuck_ it is you!” He laughs breathlessly. “God I need to stop assuming you’re a middle schooler, one of these days I’m gonna see an _actual_ middle schooler and automatically assume it’s you and land myself a case instead.”

Hot Mystery Man laughs again, running a hand through his damp hair that Jihoon didn’t notice before. Taking a good look now while he has the chance, Jihoon can see Hot Mystery Man's attire consisting of a plain white shirt that clings quite nicely onto his sweaty chest and a pair of tight tracksuits that, to put it simply, _sinfully_ hug his thick thighs. Jihoon is having a hard time concentrating on _anything_ the man is saying.

Was he working out? This late at night? It was nearly 2 in the morning, it's rather inconvenient to work his body out so late. But why _this_ area? To Jihoons knowledge, there were no gyms nearby other than his company building which had an abundance of dance studios.

_Unless of course-_

“Say, Lee Jihoon, are you stalking me?”

“Wha- what?!”

He shrugs nonchalantly, “I don’t know, it’s entirely plausible. You could have easily followed me and found out where I worked. Then after finding out where I worked and looked up the list of staff, found my instagram and cyber stalked me until you could formulate the perfect chance encounter and make yourself out to be a clumsy, naive man who needs his prince charming to save him from the enemy that is physics. Maybe you've been stalking me for months now! And that air conditioner incident was one of your psychotic exaggerated plans to get my attention-”

“You don’t even know me you _ass_!” He takes back everything he said about Hot Mystery Man. He wasn’t hot at all, he was an egoistic psychotic prick who takes pleasure in victim blaming and psychological torture! If anything, _he_ was the one who was stalking Jihoon! Maybe _he_ was the one who set up that air conditioner incident. It seemed entirely plausible and exactly like a tactic a serial killing black market selling sicko would do in order to get their victims. Maybe he was a Ted Bundy type?!

But Hot Mys - ugh, Egoistic Psycho Man starts breaking out in peals of laughter, doubling over himself. Jihoon is confused, why is he laughing? Is this one of his tactics to get Jihoons defenses down?

Finally calming down enough, the man straightens himself, a smirk growing on his face. Suddenly he was close, invading Jihoons private bubble of personal space. He wants to protest, to push away, but then he catches wiff of the man's cologne. Despite there being an obvious layer of sweat to him, one would expect him to smell all gross and musty. But he doesn’t.

He smells woodsy, with a hint of something akin to peppermint and _so so delicious_. The simmering heat of arousal returns in the pit of his stomach. The man is so close now that Jihoon reflexively holds onto his shoulders to support himself, the man's smirk widening as he snakes a careful arm around Jihoons waist.

“You are adorable when you’re angry, _Lee Jihoon_.”

His hot breath fans Jihoons face, now only centimeters away. He looks so strong like this, so commanding, so _dominating_. And though he hated to admit it, Jihoon would definitely submit without hesitation or a second thought. His knees grow weak at the thought, breathing growing heavier as his mind clouds with lust and need. He closes his eyes, waiting with bated breath for the man to do _something, anything._

But just as fast as he was there, he was gone.

Jihoon doesn’t register the lost of warmth until he felt goosebumps on his skin, snapping his eyes open.

_What just happened?_

Cursing, Jihoon quickly digs his pocket for his phone, unlocking it and opening instagram to get to the search bar. But then quickly realizes he can’t search for anything.

“ _Shit_ …”

He never got the strangers name.


	2. Never leave Lee Jihoon alone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aforementioned shenanigans ensuing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It is currently 3am when I FINALLY finished writing this. It took so long T^T I'm honestly so disappointed in myself.
> 
> BUT I've exceeded my previous word count which I am honestly so proud of, like yeah, take that laziness, productivity is taking over now go tf away. It's not gonna last, wbk but I'm hoping it will anyway. 
> 
> That flower shop tattoo parlour Junhao oneshot is taking longer than expected, cause I just HAD to write plot because I am E X T R A
> 
> I was also supposed to go back to school this week but they've E X T E N D E D the quarantine so now I am sitting in my own little miserable routine of sleeping at 6 and waking up at 6 and feeling unproductive and sleepy all day but then having this stupid amount of energy at night which I spend reading BNHA and Seventeen fanfictions. I am so done with the world and this stupid pandemic, JUST STAY TF INSIDE WHATS SO HARD TO DO????
> 
> also, TW: Rape/Non-con  
> What?!?! How scandalous, it's only the second chapter?!?! It's nothing graphic dw, just mentioned/attempted but I thought I should warn you if that makes you uncomfortable. You can skip it, before and after the "~~~" just in case. 
> 
> If you have any concerns or opinions regarding the chapter, you can yell at me on:  
> Tumblr: [@ana0072](https://ana0072.tumblr.com)  
> Twitter: [@ANAisnotmyname](https://twitter.com/ANAisnotmyname)
> 
> Enjoy the chapter!

“So you’re telling me,” Jeonghan pauses, “That you ran into the guy that quote unquote saved your life again, and instead of asking for his name - the thing that you’ve been whining over for the past 2 weeks mind you! - you instead fixate on the fact that he’s too hot to handle?”

  
  


“And that he smells nice!” Joshua inputs from the kitchen.

  
  


“And that he smells nice,” Jeonghan nods.

  
  


Jihoon groans from his place underneath the pillow fort that Wonwoo and Seungkwan had been building for the past half hour, both said men scolding him for almost ruining their structures. Jihoon ignores them, looking over to where Jeonghan was laying down on the floor, his hair sprawled out above him.

  
  


“God, why are you guys even here if all you’re going to do is judge and scold me?” he complains.

  
  


“We do it with love, darling,” Joshua states as he plops down beside Jeonghan's head with two mugs of tea. Jeonghan whines when Joshua hands the cup to Jihoon instead of him, ‘Where’s my cup?’ ‘Go get one yourself, tea is for the depressed and downtrodden.’ ‘I am _not_ depressed!’

  
  


Jeonghan sighs as he sits up, glaring at Joshua when said man snickers at his messy hair, “Our point is, Jihoon, we’re here because we love you and we are _sick_ of hearing you whine about Hot Mystery Man. So we’re going out tonight, whether you like it or not because you have been cooped up in your studio all week with barely enough sustenance to maintain _living_.”

  
  


“But-”

  
  


“No buts! No excuses! No exceptions! We are going out whether you like it or not!”

  
  


“Actually, hyung,” Minghao interrupts, “ _You_ might not like it, since the weather forecast says it's gonna rain tonight. Heavily.”

  
  


Jeonghan narrows his eyes at him, “How would I know your sources are legible?”

  
  


Minghao deadpans, “It’s literally the news, hyung.”

  
  


“That doesn’t necessarily mean it's a _legitimate_ news website!” He argues, “For all I know, you're reading a conspiracy regarding tonight's forecast! Or lying to me all together!”

  
  


“You think I’m lying about…” The younger man blinks, “....the _weather_.”

  
  


He nods eagerly, “It is a _very_ plausible argument.”

  
  


A moment of silence overtakes them where Minghao stares at Jeonghan in disbelief but ultimately sighs, breaking their eye contact in the process. Jeonghan takes it as the younger man admitting defeat, smirking smugly.

  
  


There's a flash of light just then, followed by a deafening crack being heard throughout Jihoon’s small apartment.

  
  


Minghao gives Jeonghan a face that all too smugly says ‘Told you.’

  
  


Jeonghan, being the kind of person he is, rolls his eyes and mutters a ‘Lucky guess’ under his breath, yet loud enough that Minghao still heard him. “We’re straying from our earlier topic!”

  
  


“Which was..?”

  
  


“Jihoon’s love life and our necessity to meddle in it, of course!”

  
  


Jihoon had hoped that they had forgotten his existence all together. But unfortunately, as of right now “Jihoon needs to get laid” is their current topic of discussion.

  
  


“Why do you need to meddle in his love life, hyung? Don’t you have your own to worry about?” Seungkwan snicker.

  
  


Jeonghan glares at him, “Be quiet you ungrateful brat. Just because you and Hansol finally had the gall to start dating doesn’t give you the right to clown on all of us for being single. Not to mention it took, what? 10 years for you to finally confess to each other?”

  
  


“I have to hand it to Hansol though,” Joshua says, “it’s kinda risky dating your only friend.”

  
  


“I am _not_ his only friend!” Seungkwan exclaims.

  
  


“I’ve scrolled through that man's Instagram front to back, he _only_ posts about his ridiculous outfits, his cat, or his music.” Jeonghan dictates irritatedly.

  
  


“What were you doing scrolling my boyfriend's account?!” He demands.

  
  


“Relax, Boo. Nobody wants your damn teddy bear. I was only trying to see if he had any hot friends.”

  
  


He rolls his eyes, “Well, obviously you’re not gonna find anything there. That's his public account!” Seungkwan explains in an exasperated tone. “He only gives that one to people he doesn’t...trust…”

  
  


Jeonghan jumps up immediately, “Doesn’t trust? Doesn’t _trust_?! Boo Seungkwan what the hell have you been saying about me?!”

  
  


“I haven’t been saying anything about you, hyung! He just doesn’t know you that well-!”

  
  


“Boo Seungkwan, you need to find a way to rectify this issue immediately!” He moves to drape across the couch dramatically, head resting on Minghao’s lap, “How could you? My _own_ child, betraying me like I was just an insignificant pebble on the highway! Next thing you know, all of you are running me over with a private instagram account!” A gasp, “Next thing you know, all of you are leaving me to die on the streets! How dare you?!” Then he proceeds to wail. Really fucking loudly.

  
  


“Seungkwan!” Jihoon says sharply, “You better do something about this fast, or I swear-”

  
  


“Great job, Seungkwan.” Joshua. “You made him wail like a fucking hyena! My ear drums are sensitive enough as it is. Add in on this fucking siren-!”

  
  


“Wonwoo-hyung, get this blanket away from me before I strangle him out of love.”

  
  


“You don’t love meeeeeee!” Jeonghan bellows. 

  
  


“Okay! Okay!” Seungkwan relents, sighing in relief when Jeonghan finally stopped screaming. “Hansol says that his friend is opening an art exhibit this Friday. Some pretentious photography-art-sculpture-thingy. And Mingyu-hyung said I can bring as many people as I wanted, as long as I informed him first. Hansol and all his friends are gonna be there. You can meet them then.”

  
  


Jeonghan rejoices, Joshua yells at him to shut up because of his sensitive ears, Jihoon mutters something about kicking them all out of the apartment.

  
  


“But!” Seungkwan continues, “You have to remember that neither me nor Hansol are in technically any place to invite you. Mingyu-hyung just gave me a free pass because he likes me. The whole place is gonna be packed full of people from high society. Actors, singers, models, CEOs. All of them have the right to kick you all out for any misdemeanors whatsoever.”

  
  


The name Mingyu sounds oddly familiar to Jihoon, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on where he had heard it before.

  
  


“Oh, please,” Jeonghan smirks, “We’re all gonna be on our best behaviours.”

  
  


******

  
  


Jihoon huffs. Despite his whining and reluctance to go to the stupid exhibit, Jeonghan had _somehow_ convinced him to attend in a flurry of guilt tripping and mental manipulation. Jihoon swears that he had mind controlled him into agreeing because no way did he willingly let Minghao and Joshua dress him for over an hour. They even put make-up on him, but not without complaining about how rough his skin was and how he needed a skin care routine asap.

  
  


He longed to rub the sleep out of his eyes, but was unfortunately restricted from doing so. His hair was curled slightly, thanks to Minghao’s excessive hair spray and Joshua’s endless massage on his scalp to "add more volume" - though it felt more like some midevil torture method rather than a gentle hairdo - he swears he lost hair from it, and maybe years off his life too.

  
  


The skin tight dress pants he’s wearing leave nothing to the imagination. In Seungkwan’s words, a.k.a the connoisseur of having a prodigious derriere himself, ‘Your ass looks great, hyung!’ He agrees to disagree. The black fitting blazer and the red and black floral printed dress shirt had a few buttons open ‘ _To capture and seduce_ ’, despite his protest that he did not want to seduce any man, woman, or non-gender binary human being. God knows his friends want to set him up with some rich CEO for a sugar daddy, or find a sugar daddy themselves.

  
  


That said, it's not that he didn’t look _good_. He knows he looks amazing, based on his friends' impressed whistles and half-assed cat calls. It’s just that, he’s never felt too comfortable in his own body in a long time, never mind to find a partner. He had been all too comfortable in his oversized hoodies and shorts to realize just how much he had missed dressing up and felt confident with himself.

  
  


Too lost in thought, he almost hadn’t noticed their arrival at the venue. Looking out the window, Jihoon nearly did a double take, blinking a few times to make sure his eyes were in fact not deceiving him.

  
  


Jihoon had been expecting something akin to a studio, a warehouse, maybe a hotel. But what they arrived at instead was something similar to a _mansion_ . A _huge_ mansion. The few people mingling outside of the estate were definitely wearing designer, Jihoon doubts it was anything short of it. 

  
  


As they entered, Jihoon couldn’t help but feel like a fish out of water. He was no stranger to big crowds or fancy parties, with his line of work, it was an expectation to attend such things. But _this_ was different. This art exhibition was not similar to an awards show. He was a guest in a strangers mansion. He had to _act_ a certain way.

  
  


Amongst the crowd, he spots Hansol, looking as dashing as ever in a blood red blazer and black dress shirt. Beside him, a man slightly taller stands with a dimpled smile, greeting the guest with effortless grace and ease. Jihoon wondered how long he had been doing so to do it so nonchalantly.

  
  


“Remember, hyungs! Best behaviours!” Seungkwan chides before walking over to Hansol, kissing him square on his lips and naturally attaching to his side.

  
  


“Hyungs, you remember Hansol?”

  
  


Hansol bows slightly. They wave in greeting.

  
  


“And this,” Seungkwan gestures to the man beside them, “is Choi Seungcheol, he owns and made the very house you’re standing in right now.”

  
  


Seungcheol laughs at Seungkwan’s statement, “No need to advertise that, Seungkwan. This is Mingyu’s night after all.” He turns to them with a gummy smile, “It’s nice to meet you all. Seungkwan has told me much about you.”

  
  


“All good things, I hope?” Joshua asks.

  
  


“Mostly.” He replies jokingly.

  
  


“About the rest of his friends, I’m guessing,” Jeonghan interrupts, “The only bad things he has to say about me is about how perfect I am.”

  
  


Seungcheol laughs, loud and breathy, “Jeonghan, I presume?”

  
  


Jeonghan narrows his eyes, “Pleased to make your acquaintance, Mr. Choi Seungcheol.”

  
  


“As do I, Mr. Yoon Jeonghan.”

  
  


“God I feel like puking.” Joshua says, interrupting whatever staring competition they were having.

  
  


“No one asked you to look,” Jeonghan snaps sassily.

  
  


“Well, if you leave dog shit on the sidewalk, people are bound to stare at it for a while!” He defends.

  
  


“That is a bad analogy, and a _terrible_ comparison.” Minghao mutters, before adding with a small smile, “No matter how accurate it may be.” Wonwoo snickers beside him.

  
  


“This is an outrage! All my children are ganging up against me-!”

  
  


“We’re the same age-!”

  
  


“Come Cheollie!” He grips Seungcheol’s arm, “ Whisk me away from this fairytale nightmare.” 

  
  


Seungcheol yelps when Jeonghan abruptly pulls him away, he turns to the group with a panicked look, “There’s a guide of the mansion and exhibits at the entrance! Don’t go to the fourth floor, it’s out of bounds!” and with those final messages, they were gone.

  
  


Seungkwan sighs, “Best behaviour, my ass.” He turns to his friends with a resigned look, “ _Don’t_ do what he just did. For your sake and my sanity, please? Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go have some _actual_ fun and spend the night with my boyfriend. Anything you want to add, Sollie?”

  
  


“Steer clear of Wen Junhui,” he adds ominously.

  
  


Seungkwan nods in agreement, “You can’t miss him. He’s a huge flirt, sharp nose, brown hair.”

  
  


Jihoon looks at them in alarm, “Wa- wait! Why do we need to stay away from him? Seungkwan! Hansol!” But they were gone.

  
  


The four of them stay quiet for a while, trying to process what had just happened. It was Minghao who broke the inevitable silence with a sigh, saying something about roaming around the place for a while, Wonwoo silently followed him. Joshua leaves soon as well, grumbling about needing a drink. So now, Jihoon was alone, in an unknown environment, at an art exhibit he didn’t want to attend in the first place, praying to whatever holy being that he didn’t run into whoever this Wen Junhui was.

  
  


He sighs heavily, an oncoming headache making its presence known by its incessant pounding in the back of his mind. This was going to be a long night.

  
  


******

  
  


One of the things you learn after being friends with Lee Jihoon for a long period of time is; Do _not_ leave him unattended in an unknown environment for a long period of time.

  
  


It wasn’t because of his size or his temper, no. In fact those two reasons are one of the main factors as to why he can take care of himself just fine. No, you can never leave Lee Jihoon alone because he is as curious as a cat and as prideful as a lion. He would argue he got it from his parents, to which they would respond he got it from his grandparents on his mother’s side, to which _they_ would say it was from _their_ parents and since they cannot vouch for themselves, they just left it at that.

  
  


Or maybe it wasn’t hereditary and he just developed it as a child in order to prepare himself for the challenging road it was to become a producer. Maybe his mind naturally wanted to explore the unknown even if he didn’t have the guarantee that he would resurface, because to him knowledge is more important than actually surviving. 

  
  


The _point_ _is_ , never leave Lee Jihoon unattended in an unknown environment.

  
  


Lest he do something stupid, like wander too far away in the back garden of the huge mansion, not noticing he was being followed until he was too far away that people could not hear him scream. Because that was exactly what he did.

  
  


**~~~** The man currently pinning him down on the ground was bigger, stronger, and had definitely done this before. Jihoon feels tears run down his cheeks as he tries to struggle out of his hold, trying to find an opening to catch him off guard. His screams are muffled behind the large hand, and he bites it hard enough to tear skin and feels blood on his lips.

  
  


The man curses above him, moving his hand away out of reflex and Jihoon screams with all his might, hoping that if he shouted loud enough, someone would hear him. Caught off guard at his sudden shrieking, the man's hold on his arm loosens slightly, giving him a chance to free himself. Using all the fight left in him, Jihoon pushes the man off of him, taking off the moment he was free towards the direction of his house, 

  
  


He had lost his jacket in the struggle, the buttons of his shirt were all but yanked off, but at least his pants saved him some form of decency. The drying tears on his face were becoming cool because of cold air surrounding him, bringing goosebumps to his skin.

  
  


Distantly, he hears the man chasing after him, cursing at him in anger in his pursuit. He wills his legs to run faster, his heart pounding rapidly in his chest, head throbbing in pain.

  
  


But he wasn’t fast enough. He had made it maybe a good yard away before he was tackled to the ground, his screams once again being muffled by the large palm. But now, the man's other hand was enclosed around his throat, diminishing his attempts to scream and the fight left in his body.

  
  


_This is it_ , he thought solemnly. _This man was going to rape and murder him, and no one will find his body._

  
  


He finds it ironic, actually. How he started the month almost dying, by a fallen air conditioner of all things, and now might actually die by a petty excuse for a human being. He’ll be battered and bruised, buried in Choi Seungcheols backyard, subsequently framing Seungcheol for his disappearance and murder, ruining some peoples lives because he wasn’t vigilant of his surroundings. Curiosity really does kill the cat.

  
  


Black dots cloud his vision, his ears ringing in an unbearable pitch. His arms that had been attempting to claw the man's arms away from his throat slacken before falling to his sides. **~~~**

  
  


Suddenly, the man's grip loosens before disappearing all together. Blearily, he registers the sound of someone fighting beside him, fist hitting flesh and grunts of pain shooting through the air, as well as the sound of his own name being called that he recognizes as Jeonghan's voice.

  
  


He feels himself being lifted off the ground, into someone's arms, followed by lots of incoherent mumbling that he can’t decipher in his state. 

  
  


“I’ll take him,” he hears someone say, followed by more incoherent mumbling. Whoever was carrying him was moving now, walking swiftly through a crowd, in a room with many bright lights that were far too luminescent for his sensitive eyes. Jihoon whimpers, trying to hide his face into the strong chest that was currently carrying him up some stairs. His rescuer soothes him gently, muttering reassuring words that he can’t quite understand.

  
  


He must’ve passed out briefly at some point because later, he feels himself being gently lowered on a bed. He feels a sigh leave his body, his rescuer running a hand through his hair to lull him to sleep. He all but relaxes into the touch. But the sensation was gone all too soon.

  
  


He whines when his rescuer moves away, feels tears falling down his face. His rescuer all but rushes back to his side.

  
  


“Shh, it’s okay. It’s okay,” A voice whispers quietly, “You’re safe now.”

  
  


“Do- n’t g-go…” He manages to croak out.

  
  


The voice sighs, in defeat or annoyance, he wasn’t sure, “I’m not going anywhere, Lee Jihoon.”

  
  


It was the last thing he registers before passing out.

  
  


******

Jihoon groans loudly, coughing immediately afterwards, trying to fight a pounding headache, on top of his throat feeling like he just swallowed a whole cactus. Blearily, he tries to sit up, immediately regretting the decision when the pounding in his head gets worse. It felt like nails were being clumsily hit into his skull by an unsteady hand, and that stupid hand kept missing the fucking nails so the freaking hammer hits his head instead.

  
  


He dimly registers a hand rubbing soothing circles up and down his back, and another offering him pills and a glass of water. After swallowing both and his eyes cleared up, he ‘tries to take in his unfamiliar surroundings. 

  
  


He registers two things. One; This was definitely not his house. The room was far too spacious and far too clean to be. On top of there being too many designer and luxurious items in his vicinity that he definitely did not own.

Two: These were definitely not his clothes. They were too big on his small frame, the neck of it almost slipping off his shoulder if he forced it enough. The scent lingering on the collar smelled vaguely familiar, woodsy, _pepperminty_ ; but he couldn’t quite put his finger on where he had smelled it before.

  
  


“You just missed your friends,” the person beside him says, startling him.

  
  


Panicked, he turns sharply, groaning afterwards when the pain in his head and neck increase.

  
  


“Be careful! You might hurt yourself!” he reprimands.

  
  


Blinking away the tears that had formed, Jihoon looks up at the man beside him, breath stuttering immediately when he recognizes who he was.

  
  


_Hot Mystery Man._

  
  


“You’re…” he tries, stopping immediately when his voice comes out scratchy.

  
  


The man sighs, “You probably shouldn’t talk for a while. Rest your throat, drink tea with honey, lots of soup, all that jazz.”

  
  


“Where am I?” he tries again, controlling his voice to a mere whisper.

  
  


“Seungcheol’s house. You've been out of it for a while, almost an entire day.”

  
  


“Oh…” that would explain the lavish room. But the prospect of him being passed out for the entire day is shocking. Him, as a producer barely gets any sleep as is and his friends always warn him about overworking himself. Jihoon can’t remember the last time he’s felt well rested, the bags under his eyes having a sense of permanence to them.

  
  


“Jihoon,” Hot Mystery Man calls, “Do you remember what happened?”

  
  


Jihoon nods, “Some details are still blurry. But I do remember what he almost did to me.”

  
  


“That’s good. I mean, like, not _good_ that that happened to you, what happened was horrible. I just mean like, it’s _good_ that you remember what happened? I mean, not that you _should_ remember what happened, it’s a pretty traumatic experience. I just mean that it’s good that you have your memories, still? _Not_ that _that's_ what you should remember! God no! I just mean-!”

  
  


Jihoon laughs breathily, “It’s fine. I get what you mean.”

  
  


The man falters, “Right! Good! It’s, uh, great that you understand. Not that I doubted your intelligence with understanding what I was saying. You seem pretty smart! Wait no, not _seem_ . You _are_ pretty smart, I’m sure. But this would be pretty ironic if you are actually stupid. _Not_ that I think that you are stupid! I just mean that you must have a pretty adequate level of intelligence for someone your age. You’re average! Not in a demeaning way though! I’m sure you have above average intelligence? Maybe not Einstein or Hawkings but I’m sure you would hold up in a math test! I just-”

  
  


The man stops, catching Jihoons endeared smile, a flush covering his face. “I’m sorry,” he mumbles, “my friends said I have a habit of rambling nonsensically. Sometimes my brain works faster than my mouth. Though I suppose it does come in handy with my job.”

  
  


Jihoon raises an eyebrow at him, thoroughly endeared by the man he had just met 3 times, “Oh yeah? What’s your job then?”

  
  


The man beams, “I’m a choreographer!”

  
  


“Oh? Then I guess we fit each other pretty well, then? I’m a producer.”

  
  


Somehow, Jihoon didn’t think it was possible, the man smiled wider, eyes turning into familiar slits, “The I guess we’re a match made in heaven! You with your composing, keyboards, guitars and stuff and me with my awesome brain power! We could rule the world of music!”

  
  


Jihoon laughs, something he notices he’s been doing a lot with this man, on top of blushing, “What company do you work for? We could issue a collaboration or something.”

  
  


“Pledis!”

  
  


Jihoons smile falters, brows furrowing, “You work for _Pledis_?” he questions in disbelief.

  
  


“Yeah!” but seeming to notice Jihoon’s shift in mood, he frowns, “Is there something wrong with that? I get that they’re not the most respectable company out there, but-”

  
  


“No, no, it's not that!” he corrects hurriedly, “It’s just…..” he inhales deeply, “ _I_ work for Pledis.”

  
  


Silence befalls them at the newfound information. Both of them trying desperately to piece together if they had crossed paths in the workplace before, but Jihoon imagines it’s pretty hard to, considering the fact that Jihoon almost never leaves his studio. 

  
  


Then Jihoon tries to think of all the choreographers he’s worked with before. He hasn’t met all of them, just a handful because he wasn’t very social to begin with. But most of his co-workers are well into their middle ages, a good amount supervisors now. He can hardly think of any of the young ones.

  
  


But, Jihoon has worked with one guy that he’s heard is a legend in the field. Has maybe worked with him once or twice with a few songs. But before this, he had imagined the man to be a lot older than Hot Mystery Man is. _Could he possibly be..?_

  
  


“Are you Hoshi?” he blurts out.

  
  


Hot Mystery Man seems thoroughly surprised he’s figured it out, having trouble figuring out Jihoon’s identity himself.

  
  


“I am,” he admits, then smiles, “But call me Soonyoung. Kwon Soonyoung.”

  
  
  


  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know what you're thinking. 
> 
> And yes, it is true that once you learn how to ride a bike, you never forget. But enough about me, let's talk about you! How was your week? How was your month? HOW IS YOUR LIFE??? I ask because I care about you, and I love you UwU.
> 
> But unfortunately, Ao3 has a limited comment word count, so I unfortunately cannot hear about you 50 paged auto-biography. But you know what doesn't? Social media.
> 
> Contact me on the socials to learn about how your life matters, and how you matter :)  
> OR YELL AT ME ITS FINE EITHER WAY AT LEAST I'M NOT LONELY  
> Tumblr: [@ana0072](https://ana0072.tumblr.com)  
> Twitter: [@ANAisnotmyname](https://twitter.com/ANAisnotmyname)
> 
> I just wanna make a friend :(  
> Kudos and comments are much appreciated. I'll try not to take three years to update the next chapter.  
> AND REMEMBER I LOVE YOU <3

**Author's Note:**

> I've been up since 1am and it's now 9am so sorry if its sluggish and slowed down towards the end. I'll edit this when I have enough energy and mental capacity to register whatever the fuck is happening in the chapter. Please leave a kudos and comment! It really helps motivating me to write more!
> 
> Tumblr: @ana0072  
> Twitter: @ANAisnotmyname
> 
> Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go pass out


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